ultimatepopculturefandomcom-20200216-history
Rebecca Gayheart
| birth_place = Hazard, Kentucky, U.S. | occupation = Actress, model | years_active = 1990–present | alma_mater = Professional Children's School | spouse = }} | children = 2 | website = }} Rebecca Gayheart (born August 12, 1971)Kentucky Birth Index, 1911–1999. State of Kentucky. At Ancestry.com. is an American fashion model and television and film actress. Gayheart began her career appearing in a student short film by Brett Ratner, and later gained notice as a spokesperson and model for Noxzema in the early 1990s. She had minor roles in Nothing to Lose and Scream 2 (1997) before starring in the 1998 slasher film Urban Legend (1998) and the black comedy Jawbreaker (1999). She has also had roles on the television series Dead Like Me, Vanished, and Nip/Tuck. Early life Gayheart was born in Hazard, Kentucky, the daughter of Floneva (née Slone), who worked as a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant, and Curtis Gayheart, a miner and coal-truck driver.Rebecca Gayheart Biography at FilmReference.comRebecca Gayheart Biography at Yahoo! Movies Forever in Black Hills She is of Irish, Italian, and German descent.Salzberg, Charles. "Accent on Success", Flair, Fall 1999. Republished at rebecca-gayheart.de Gayheart spent her early life in Pine Top, Kentucky. She relocated to New York City at the age of 15, where she completed her education at New York's Professional Children's School and the Lee Strasberg Institute. Career In her first film role, Gayheart appeared in Brett Ratner's New York University short film Whatever Happened to Mason Reese? (1990) starring Mason Reese. She also appeared in the Ratner-directed music video Nuttin' But Love performed by Heavy D and the Boyz. Gayheart's break into the television industry was a series of television commercials for Noxzema in the early 1990s, earning her the moniker "The Noxzema Girl". The commercials began airing in 1991 and brought her recognition.Rebecca Gayheart at Askmen.com (This was also referred to at the end of the film Urban Legend, when one of the new college students remarks, "And Brenda character was the Noxzema Girl.") In 1992, Gayheart was cast in her first major role on the soap opera Loving as Hannah Mayberry. In 1993 and 1994, she had a recurring role in the Vanishing Son action series as cellist Clair Rutledge, the love interest of Russell Wong's main character, Jian-Wa Chang. In 1994 and 1995, Gayheart played Bess Martin in the science-fiction series Earth 2. In 1995, she played Antonia Marchette, a recurring character in the series Beverly Hills, 90210, and Luke Perry's character's love interest. Gayheart has been a regular on the 1999 television series Wasteland, Dead Like Me, and Vanished, and had a recurring role on Nip/Tuck. In 1999, Gayheart starred in the movie Jawbreaker with Rose McGowan, Julie Benz, and Judy Greer as girls in an exclusive clique in their high school. Gayheart starred as the waitress in the Train music video for the 1999 song "Meet Virginia". In 2002, Gayheart was hired for the role of Inara Serra on the television series Firefly but was fired after only one day of filming. Show creator Joss Whedon said that a lack of chemistry existed between the rest of the cast and her. The role was recast with actress Morena Baccarin, who reportedly filmed her first scene the day she was accepted for the role. None of Gayheart's work was used.Whedon, Joss. Firefly: the complete series: "Serenity" commentary In 2007, Gayheart guest-starred on Ugly Betty as Jordan, an ex-girlfriend of Alexis Meade. The following year, Gayheart starred in the Broadway comedy, Boeing-Boeing opposite Christine Baranski, Mark Rylance, Greg Germann, Paige Davis, and Missi Pyle. She had a guest role on The Cleaner in 2009. Personal life Gayheart was engaged to director Brett Ratner, and to Italian actor Marco Leonardi. She married actor Eric Dane on October 29, 2004. Dane told Flaunt magazine about how they met: "It's probably one of the least interesting stories in the world. It went basically like this: 'You wanna go out?' 'Yeah, sure.' Ten months later, we were married."Tewksbury, Drew. Getting Big with Eric Dane , Flaunt They have two daughters: Billie Beatrice (born March 3, 2010) and Georgia Geraldine (born December 28, 2011). On August 17, 2009, a nude video was posted on the website gawker.com that showed former Miss Teen USA contestant Kari Ann Peniche with Gayheart and husband Eric Dane. In February 2018, Gayheart filed for divorce from Dane after 14 years of marriage, citing "irreconcilable differences". Legal issues On June 13, 2001 while driving a vehicle, Gayheart hit nine-year-old Jorge Cruz, Jr., as he walked across a street in Los Angeles. He died the following day from his injuries. On November 27, 2001, Gayheart pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter. She was sentenced to three years of probation, a one-year suspension of her license, a $2,800 fine, and 750 hours of community service.people.com Ex-'90210' Star: Wrongful Death Suit The parents of the boy filed a wrongful death lawsuit, which was settled out of court. Filmography References External links * Category:Actors from Kentucky Category:Models from Kentucky Category:American film actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni Category:People from Knott County, Kentucky Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:People from Hazard, Kentucky Category:Actors of Italian descent